Whew!

3.18.11

We are finally getting a breather after almost 3 weeks of whirlwind activity! We had a great time in Long Island and rushed back to be here in time to collect the first of our guests, Jeremy and Jon. They were here for most of the Regatta events and had a blast just swimming in the crystal clear waters and hanging out with the other cruisers. They played Sand Trap golf on the beach, went snorkeling, played volleyball and we even had a bonfire with a bunch of our friends.
Towards the end of their trip, Chelsea flew in so that at one point, there were 5 people on our little boat! It was much better than I had anticipated. No one complained about sleeping accommodations (thanks in part to extra Bahamian Rum Drinks!) and everyone kept their stuff tidy enough that the boat wasn't too cluttered! We all had a blast and were sorry to see Jeremy and Jon leave.
With just the 3 of us left, we had more relaxed beach days. We attended the closing party of the Regatta and had a blast listening to some of the cruisers playing in a pickup band.
We went to sundowners with some cruisers we met in Marathon who finally made it down to Georgetown. And we all learned how to play a conch horn! It was a blast! I of course, was a natural...haha.
Chelsea and I spent a day on the East beaches searching the sand for Hamburger and Heart beans - large brown beans that float all the way across the Atlantic from Africa. They are supposed to be good luck for sailors since they have endured the long journey. But we had no such luck, hopefully we will find one before the end of our travels!
One of the couples we met here in Georgetown decided to upgrade to a larger boat and purchased one here in town. We went over with a few other couples to be witnesses for the christening ceremony - a superstitious ceremony for renaming the boat that involves lots of champagne and invoking the spirits of the wind. It was great fun and awesome to be part of such a big moment in their lives!
After a week full of fun and sun, we said our goodbyes to Chelsea and sent her back to the States.
Although we have had lots of fun sharing our lives with our friends, it is equally nice to have peace and quiet back on our little boat. It is time to get back in the swing of things and get the mothership back in sailing condition. She has had plenty of rest and so have we. We are all eager to be out in the open ocean again.

Visitors

3.7.11

Jeremy and Jon flew in from DC this weekend and they couldn't have picked a better week! We have just had a large and long-lasting blow of up to 25knots for a few days and the weather has finally laid down. The water is crystal clear and the skies are a brilliant blue.
Brad played in the Cruisers vs. Bahamians softball game last night and we went along to cheer him on. There was a great turnout and the cruisers were loud and rowdy as usual. I met up with some old friends again and also met some new friends as well. Brad played great in the game and was the only player they kept in the whole time!
The whole game was quite entertaining, as the Bahamians are much better than the cruisers....by a long shot! They play competitively and are much more experienced than our team of miscreants. To make up for this, the cruisers get to provide the referees who are more there to handicap the Bahamians than anything else. The referees provided a great source of entertainment as they put a ball and chain on some of the runners, allowed the whole team of cruisers to run around the bases for an 11 run homerun, made the Bahamians run the bases backwards and bat with their bats upside down! It was quite pathetic how much better they were than our team, but the game is a yearly charity event that is all played in good fun. Everyone had a great time, and I think the final rigged score was 26-26.
More Cruisers Regatta events commence tomorrow and with the winds being so low, there is a good chance of snorkeling in the near future!

Surprise Sail

3.3.11

We woke up this morning planning on spending a lazy day on the boat since a front was moving through the area, we expected some rain and high winds. However, when we checked the GRIBS that morning, we realized the front had stalled a bit and although it had rained yesterday, it was supposed to be clear today with winds up to 20knots. The following day the winds were supposed to build and the rain was to hit again. Well, I hate sailing in the rain, so our mind was made up. We quickly got our butts into gear and readied the boat for sailing. We were on the water with our sails raised 45 minutes later!
We were on a beam reach, flying along the water at 6knots. And it only got better, or worse, depending on which way we chose to look at it. We were traveling in the right direction to harness all the power of the wind and as the day wore on, we reached 7, even 8, knots, which is our max speed in our little boat! But with the speed came the wrestling of the wheel. This is where we are a bit different from other boaters. We currently don't have an autopilot – it is under construction, kind of. So, we had to wrestle the wheel to keep the boat straight for the whole 5 hour trip. When you are slicing through waves that are 5-7 feet tall that are slamming into your beam and the boat is trying with all its might to turn you straight into the wind, things can get a bit dicey. And that is exactly what happened. We had to take shifts behind the wheel because it was such a workout! The waves built steadily throughout the day until they were just picking us up and tossing us around.
Needless to say, we were happy, relieved and exhausted when we finally reached the cut and made it behind cover of land. We had made the best time ever, having covered 35 miles in a bit under 5 hours! But we had paid the price.
Georgetown was even more crowded than when we had left, due to the regatta being this week. We had trouble anchoring and the over 20knots winds were not making our job any easier! We finally squeezed our way into a spot and were so thankful to drop the anchor and be back in a safe harbour.
Tomorrow starts the deep cleaning of the boat and the parade of guests starts in 2 days! Can't wait!!!